July 14, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S7453 allow needed funding to be reallocated of the HELP Committee—but we have where all one sees are the benefits, to more important, pressing needs of been going through a multiweek mark- without considering the con- our military. Let’s pass a Defense au- up that I think has been characterized sequences—the law of unintended ef- thorization bill actually contains the by some very wishful thinking on the fects. For example: the totally mis- requests that our military has made. part of the majority members of that leading claim by the majority that the Madam President, $1.75 billion for the committee; namely, the hope or the new data from the Congressional Budg- F–22 has not been requested, and I wish that they can somehow not reveal et Office revealed a much lower score agree with Chairman LEVIN, Senator the very real costs and tradeoffs raised for this bill, $597 billion—a lot of MCCAIN, Presidents Obama and Bush. by their health care reform bill. I think money—while still expanding health I urge my colleagues to join in this the American people ought to become insurance coverage to 97 percent of effort to show fiscal restraint. Support more and more aware of this. Americans. This claim is the very defi- the Levin-McCain amendment. The The bill the HELP Committee is nition of ‘‘wishful thinking.’’ But facts best way to defend our country is to marking up establishes all sorts of new are stubborn things. The actual CBO listen to our military when it tells us government programs, all sorts of new numbers say this bill leaves 34 million to change the way we invest. Our fiscal government mandates and controls— people still uninsured. That is not 97 health and our national security both all justified by the need to ‘‘rein in percent coverage. In order to gain any- depend on it. health care costs’’ and ‘‘increase health where near 97 percent coverage, we I yield the floor and suggest the ab- insurance coverage.’’ I know those are would have to significantly expand sence of a quorum. two very good and noble pursuits, Medicaid—a very expensive proposition The PRESIDING OFFICER. The which I support wholeheartedly. As a which, according to CBO, adds about clerk will call the roll. matter of fact, I think Republicans $500 billion or more to the cost of this The bill clerk proceeded to call the now have about six bills to do the same bill. roll. thing. They do not get much attention, More wishful thinking: The $597 bil- Mr. LEVIN. I ask unanimous consent but we have six bills. lion cost was further artificially low- that the order for the quorum call be But there is a big problem with this ered through several budget maneu- rescinded. bill. It does neither of these things, in vers, such as a multiyear phase-in and The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without my opinion. It neither reduces costs, a long-term care insurance program objection, it is so ordered. nor does it significantly increase cov- that will increase costs significantly f erage. In fact, it significantly increases outside the 10-year budget window CBO costs for very little gain—‘‘costs,’’ c-o- is required to use. Here we are passing RECESS s-t-s. Remember that word. But my a long-term insurance bill that goes be- Mr. LEVIN. Madam President, I ask colleagues on the HELP Committee yond 10 years that CBO cannot even unanimous consent that the Senate continue to wish and to hope they can score. stand in recess until 2:15. obscure this reality through a barrage, After taking these realities into ac- There being no objection, the Senate, really, of speeches and rhetoric and count, a more accurate 10-year score of at 12:12 p.m., recessed until 2:15 p.m. what I call misleading figures. this bill is closer to $2 trillion. I said and reassembled when called to order It has been this behavior that has that right: not $1 trillion—$2 trillion. by the Acting President pro tempore. caused me to recall Mr. Yankelovich’s This is when we should arrive at the f observations on something called the fifth stage of opinion making: weighing evolution of opinion. I am going to use the choices. Since the true cost of this NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZA- that as the basis of my remarks—the bill is approximately $2 trillion, we TION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR evolution of opinion. The article was in must own up to the American public 2010—Continued Fortune magazine, and it jogged my about the tradeoffs. We must finally The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- memory in this regard. But, in any understand that the tradeoffs threaten pore. The Senator from Kansas. event, I think it serves as an important a health care system that polls tell us Mr. ROBERTS. Mr. President, I ask illustration of the health care reform has a 77-percent satisfaction rate. unanimous consent to proceed as in process so far. Mr. Yankelovich ob- This is not to say we should not un- morning business to speak about the served that the evolution of a person’s dertake any reforms, but we need to health care deliberations we are under- opinion could be traced through a con- honestly discuss the costs and benefits taking. I know we are under the De- tinuum of seven stages. That is a fancy of reform proposals. And the majority’s fense authorization bill. My remarks way of saying there are steps you go proposal is high on cost and low on should not take that long. through when you are trying to think benefits. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- something through. The No. 1 tradeoff that Americans pore. Without objection, it is so or- First, we have had daunting aware- need to know is, higher taxes. Remem- dered. ness: the realization that our health ber when the President promised: If Mr. ROBERTS. Mr. President, as I in- care system was not working for every you make under $250,000, you will not dicated, I rise today to talk about American and needed to be addressed. I see your taxes increased, that you health care reform and the hard truths think everybody understands that. would actually see a tax cut. Well, like that have so far been not hidden but I The second stage, greater urgency: so many other pledges, those promises do not think have been very much the economy began to go south and had an expiration date, and that date is aware to many Americans. people who used to rely on their em- rapidly approaching. I was inspired to come to the Senate ployer for health insurance began los- The bill raises $36 billion in the first floor today because we are holding ing their jobs. 10 years in new taxes on individuals hearings in the HELP Committee—and Then there is the third stage: reach- who do not purchase health insurance. we are holding hearings in the Finance ing for solutions. Our committee has That is a penalty. It raises another $52 Committee—and a series of events in held hearings and began to meet with billion in new taxes on employers who the Health, Education, Labor, and Pen- stakeholders. The administration met do not offer their employees health in- sions Committee made me recall the with stakeholders. The stakeholders, I surance. observations of a well-respected public think, probably met in good faith. And As an aside, guess who suffers when opinion analyst, pollster Daniel it has only been recently they have dis- the employer’s taxes get raised? It cer- Yankelovich, founder of the New York covered they may have signed on to tainly is not the employer. It is the Times/Yankelovich Poll. something that is very illusory, to say employee who gets laid off or does not The HELP Committee has been the least. get a raise. It is the applicant who does struggling—well, we have been working Fourth, the stage where many on the not get hired. Even President Obama’s hard; ‘‘struggling’’ probably is not the HELP Committee and elsewhere have own Budget Director admits this fact. right word; and many thanks to the arrived at today: the wishful thinking At least one economic survey esti- chairman, CHRIS DODD, our ranking stage, the well-intentioned, romantic, mates that an employer mandate to member, MIKE ENZI, and the members simplistic, perhaps naive moment provide health insurance, such as the VerDate Nov 24 2008 02:41 Sep 28, 2009 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\RECORD09\RECFILES\S14JY9.REC S14JY9 smartinez on DSKB9S0YB1PROD with CONG-REC-ONLINE S7454 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 14, 2009 one in the Kennedy-Dodd bill, would nomic catalyst of our country, the already have rationing. We already put 33 percent of uninsured workers at small business community. Make no have shortages. We already have doc- risk for being laid off—33 percent of un- mistake, these will be difficult choices. tors and providers who say: I am sorry, insured workers. The study went on to They will have to reduce the wages and I am not reimbursed to the extent I can say that ‘‘workers who would lose their benefits of current employees. They stay in business and offer you Medi- jobs are disproportionately likely to be will have to pass their costs on to their care. So rationing is not a scare word, high school dropouts, minority, and fe- customers.